Slater Koekkoek
Slater Koekkoek (born on February 18, 1994 in North Dundas, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Koekkoek was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning (10th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Playing Career Junior Slater was a 1st round selection of the Peterborough Petes in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. He played 4 seasons and 195 games in the Ontario Hockey League having played 131 games with the Peterborough Petes and 64 with the Windsor Spitfires. During his 2nd season with the Peterborough Petes, Slater only played in 26 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in November. He was traded mid-season to Windsor on January 10, 2013. In his last season, he set a career high and recorded 15 goals and 53 points, and finished with a +44 rating and 51 penalty minutes. Professional Slater was selected 10th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was signed by the Lightning to a three-year entry level contract on March 20, 2013 and was assigned to the Canadian Hockey League the first 2 years. He made his professional hockey debut on October 12, 2014 against the Hartford Wolf Pack. In 66 games with the Crunch, Slater had five goals and 24 points to go along with 40 penalty minutes. he led all Crunch defensemen in assists (19) and points (24). He also is tied for fifth among American Hockey League rookie defensemen in points. On March 31, 2015, Slater made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his home province of Ontario losing 3–1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs recording 2 shots and a –1 rating. He skated 15:31 in the game. On April 8, 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Slater had been reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. He skated in three games with the Lightning, recording two penalty minutes and six shots. On March 7, 2016, Slater recorded his first career NHL assist and first NHL point in a 2–4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. On April 30, 2016, He appeared in his first NHL playoff game, which was a 4–1 Lightning win over the New York Islanders. On May 24, 2016, he recorded his first career playoff assist and point, which came in a 2–5 Lightning loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. On July 3, 2017, Slater signed a one-year, $800,000 contract extension with the Lightning. On October 12, 2017, he recorded his first and second career NHL goals. Slater's second goal was the game-winning goal in a 5–4 Lightning win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. During the 2018–19 season, with Slater unable to establish himself on the Championship contending Lightning and having been passed on the depth chart, he was traded by the Lightning along with a 2019 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventh-round pick on January 11, 2019. International Play Slater first competed at the international stage at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in helping Canada Ontario claim the gold medal. He represented the Canadian under-18 national team at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he had two points in seven games and helped Canada win bronze medals. In the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, Slater served as an alternate captain and he led Canada in defensive scoring with five points in five games. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International Accolades OHL *Second All-Rookie Team (2011) *First All-Star Team (2014) Gallery Koekkoek peterborough petes.jpg|with the Peterborough Petes Koekkoek 2012 NHL Combine.jpg|2012 NHL Combine Portrait Koekkoek 2012 NHL Entry Draft Portrait.jpg|2012 NHL Entry Draft Portrait Koekkoek 2015 NHLPA rookie showcase.jpg|2015 NHLPA Rookie Showcase Portrait Headshots Koekkoek 2013-14 season.jpg|2013-14 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Koekkoek 2014-15 season.jpg|2014-15 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Koekkoek 2015-16 season.jpg|2015-16 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Koekkoek 2016-17 season.jpg|2016-17 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Koekkoek 2017-18 season.jpg|2017-18 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Koekkoek 2018-19 season.jpg|2018-19 Season (with the Tampa Bay Lightning) Slater Koekkoek 2019 20 season.jpg|2019-20 Season Category:Players Category:Defencemen Category:1994 births Category:2018-19 Roster Category:2019-20 Roster